KHAMMAM: Telugu Desam leader Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s large meeting here on Wednesday demonstrated a change on two counts.
Firstly, he changed his style of speech. He gave a presentation of what he had done during his tenure as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, to make the present generation understand this in detail.
Instead of standing at one place and addressing the crowd, he moved all over the dais while listing out his achievements.
Secondly, Telugu Desam founder NT Rama Rao was given special respect by Naidu during his speech. He asked the TD workers to set up NTR statues in every village by way of honouring the late leader and matinee idol.
“NTR was the pride of the Telugu people and he introduced food security policy by distributing rice at Rs 2 per kilo. Later, the state and central governments introduced the same policy. NTR made the impossible possible by coming to power within nine months of the launch of his party,” he said.
This apart, NTR abolished the Patel and Patwari system. Backward classes were given a role in politics by making them legislators. The Mandal system, residential schools and single window mode for investments were introduced by NTR.
The Telugu Desam rank and file got energized by the success of Naidu’s public meeting in Khammam. Party workers from various districts including Khammam, Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Suryapet, Mahabubabad, Nalgonda, Warangal and Mulugu and party in-charges of parliament constituencies attended the meeting.
The party leaders and activists welcomed Naidu at Nayakangudem. They took out a vehicle rally alongwith Naidu’s convoy till Khammam. Naidu was at the head of the rally from Mayuri Centre to Sardar Paten stadium in an open jeep.
TD leaders, who spoke before Naidu, were more critical in their speeches and criticised the BRS government. TD politburo member Ravula Chandrasekhar said the BRS government failed in fulfilling the aspirations of the Telangana people in its eight years of rule.
“Nobody in Telangana is happy and corruption has reached its peak. The Covid-19 vaccine was invented in Hyderabad due to the genome valley set up by Chandrababu Naidu,” he said.
TD Telangana president K Gnaneswar said, “Development and Telugu Desam are synonymous. Backward classes were given political opportunities due to TD.”
Khammam parliamentary incharge K Venkateswarlu said, “Backward classes were given importance during the TD rule but this is not so in Telangana now.”
Even the TD cadre from faraway Jaggaiahpet, Nandigama and Tiruvuru assembly segments in AP have come to the meeting.
